outage
Americannoun
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an interruption or failure in the supply of power, especially electricity.
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the period during which power is lost.
a two-hour outage on the East Coast.
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a stoppage in the functioning of a machine or mechanism due to a failure in the supply of power or electricity.
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the quantity of goods lost or lacking from a shipment.
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Aeronautics. the amount of fuel used during a flight.
noun
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a quantity of goods missing or lost after storage or shipment
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a period of power failure, machine stoppage, etc
Etymology
Origin of outage
Explanation
An outage is a sudden interruption in a service. An internet outage means you'll have to wait to watch your favorite show online. You may experience a power outage during a hurricane or snowstorm, when you can’t flip on the lights or use the microwave until crews repair the electrical lines. A computer network or server outage can have many causes (sometimes these are scheduled breaks in service, allowing maintenance to be done). Outages can be annoying and inconvenient, or even dangerous. The American coinage outage, first used in 1903, was modeled on shortage.
Vocabulary lists containing outage
This Week in Words: Current Events Vocab for April 24–April 30, 2021
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This Week in Words: Current Events Vocab for October 2–October 8, 2021
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This Week in Words: Current Events Vocab for February 9–February 15, 2025
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The nationwide Canvas outage that disrupted colleges and universities during finals week forced campuses across the country to improvise as faculty and students suddenly lost access to exams, assignments, grades and other course materials.
From Salon • May 9, 2026
The message said the situation was “fluid” and that officials were working with Instructure to determine the full scope of the outage.
From Los Angeles Times • May 7, 2026
The Qatar outage dented ExxonMobil's natural gas output, which fell 8.2 percent from the year-ago level.
From Barron's • May 1, 2026
Verizon doled out credits to customers affected by an hourslong, widespread outage on Jan. 14, which dragged on net income and revenue.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 27, 2026
At first, I thought it was another annoying power outage; we’d been having them every day.
From "Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Changed the World" by Malala Yousafzai
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
